Band 8c Consultant Pharmacist - Infection

Job responsibilities

1. CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To provide clinical and professional leadership in delivering a highly specialised clinical pharmacy service to patients and leading on antimicrobial stewardship to ensure the safe, clinically effective and cost-efficient use of medicines. Key duties include:

Regular participation in microbiology consultant ward rounds with significant input into the decision-making processes for complex patients, taking legal and professional responsibility for the decisions

Development and provision of pharmacy led infection outpatient clinics including review, optimisation and monitoring of medicines

Provision of expert specialist knowledge in the field of microbiology and infectious diseases

Demonstration of advanced level of reasoning and judgement

To accept referrals from other pharmacists, consultants and the multi-disciplinary team to review patients on anti-infectives and their use. To challenge treatment choices. To refer to consultant clinicians if required.

To undertake urgent review of individual patient requests for novel antimicrobial treatments including non-formulary drugs/off-license indications/unlicensed antimicrobial agents

Provision of expert prescribing advice in the specialist area including selection, adverse events and dosage adjustment where limited or conflicting information is available. This advice may be challenged.

Leading the development and ensuring adherence to evidence based prescribing guidelines/protocols in infection

Works across healthcare boundaries (Trust, Primary, Secondary & Tertiary care) to provide anti-infective medicines advice and share information to improve patient care

With the consultant pharmacist HIV, to lead the RFL pharmacy response to any high consequence infectious disease (e.g. Covid, Monkeypox), working with clinicians and other health professionals to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines.

To be overall vaccine lead for the Trust

To be pharmacy lead for the treatment of TB, including the sourcing and evaluation of novel medicines for the treatment of multi-drug resistant TB and non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease.

Making evidence-based decisions, in partnership with patients and other professionals within the specialist area

In conjunction with the clinicians and managers, ensure compliance with CQC medicines related outcomes, NICE technology appraisals and other government initiatives and national policy

To oversee the development of patient group directions for anti-infectives and vaccines

2. RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENTS

Using independent prescribing skills, to work autonomously and demonstrate accountability in managing own caseload. To independently review patients on anti-infectives (in-patients and out-patients), optimising the use of these medicines to improve outcomes including the monitoring and interpretation of laboratory results

To participate in pharmacist-led antibiotic allergy clinics with the aim of assessing the nature and severity of the allergy and desensitisation/ de-labelling where possible.

To counsel patients on the use of anti-infectives to improve compliance and enhance understanding

To oversee the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) service, ensuring safe and appropriate use and supply of antimicrobials in the home setting

To audit own practice and that of the service and provide summary reports to the Chief Pharmacist and Infection team

To provide a professional and courteous service to patients using the departments services. This may include those who are upset, confused or angry

To deal effectively with situations where medication errors have occurred, including liaising directly with patients and staff concerned

To lead in responding to complaints from patients and the public in relation to medicines management issues within the specialist area as required

3. RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY AND SERVICE DEVELOPMENT

Working with managers and consultants within infection and infection control to define objectives and targets for the safe and effective use of anti-infectives across the Trust and beyond

To work with other member of infection and the infection control team to ensure that statutory requirement and quality standards in relation to anti-infective use within the Trust are met (e.g. NICE, NHSE, CQC, CQUIN)

To develop, collect and analyse data on KPIs relating to anti-infective prescribing and to present this data at key meetings. To benchmark against other Trusts.

To contribute to the development of national policies and guidelines relevant to anti-infectives, taking into account best practice in the field (e.g. NICE)

To lead the development within the Trust of the Microguide App and other relevant anti-infective guidelines

To lead on any medicines management issues relating to anti-infective use at the interface between primary and secondary care developing guidance and care pathways to address any issues

To work at a regional level to raise the profile of various infectious diseases and/or the overuse of antibiotics, assisting with the design of and participating in any local campaigns

To set standards of practice and ensure processes are in place to monitor against these standards. To ensure others adhere to these standards

To be an active member of the senior pharmacy team and participate in the development and implementation of the Trust pharmacy strategy

Advise on the implementation of NICE guidance, other national and international guidelines for the management of anti-infectives.

See full JD for details.

Education & professional Qualifications

Essential

• MPharm or equivalent
• Registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Post graduate diploma in pharmacy practice or equivalent
• Registered non-medical prescriber

Desirable

• Advanced qualification in specialist area
• Completion of Credentialing as Consultant pharmacist*

Royal Free World Class Values

Essential

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Experience

Essential

• Significant demonstrable experience of working in clinical pharmacy and experience of working as a specialist in microbiology and/or infectious diseases
• Expert clinical practice knowledge of microbiology
• Experience of managing & leading staff and projects
• Experience of working at a strategic level with senior clinicians and managers including working across primary and secondary care
• Experience of managing change and leading service developments and redesigns
• Experience of writing business cases
• Contribution to managing budgets and rationalization of prescribing, working at a regional level to deliver savings
• Experience of writing / implementing clinical guidelines and government directives
• Experience of multidisciplinary working and participation in consultant ward rounds
• Experience of working autonomously in pharmacy led outpatient clinics, improving medicines outcomes for a complex set of patients
• Evidence of clinical audit/drug evaluation/practice research and the promotion of evidence based practice.
• Recognition as an expert nationally through publications / presentations or an office in a national group
• Experience of appraising staff and giving feedback, disciplinary procedures
• Experience in designing and delivering education and training.
• Experience as a clinical pharmacy tutor and mentor
• Experience of working across healthcare boundaries

Desirable

• Committee member of national microbiology/infection groups
• Experience of providing advice and input at a national level i.e. NICE advisory committees / NHSE

Skills and aptitudes

Essential

• Ability to work at a national level to develop and implement polic
• Ability to carry out day to day responsibilities and deal effectively with unpredictable/acute demands.
• Ability to justify and reason any advice given should this be challenged.
• Ability to contribute to the education and training of future generations of infection pharmacists
• Ability to manage time, people and resources to deliver timely outcomes
• Ability to manage budgets, including staff, revenue and prescribing
• Ability to identify and implement best practice
• Contributes to policy and activities aimed at reducing clinical risk
• Understanding of current national standards, guidelines and service delivery issues relevant microbiology/infectious diseases

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).